Slider and end stop applying machine for a slide fastener chain

ABSTRACT

A machine is disclosed for applying a slider and an end stop in succession to a slide fastener chain on one and the same unit of the machine. The provision of a removably connected unit on the anvil part of the machine permits of the mounting of a slider and a bottom end stop as required on the fastener chain which has previously been attached to a prefinished garment such as trousers. The combination slider retainer and end stop die unit extends horizontally and forwardly of the anvil a sufficient length to provide unobstructed working space such that the fastener-attached, rather bulky garment can be advanced into the required position for the part assembly.

Kawakami 3,789,487 Feb. 5, 1974 SLIDER AND END STOP APPLYING MACHINE FOR A SLIDE FASTENER CHAIN Inventor: Koichi Kawakami, Toyama, Japan Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, Japan Oct. 27, 1972 Assignee:

Filed:

Appl. No.:

Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 1,-1971 Japan 46-87044 US. Cl 29/2075 SL, 29/2075 ST Int. Cl 823p 19/04 Field of Search29/2075 SL, 207.5 ST, 207.5 R,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1959 Morin 29/2075 SL 3,588,991 6/l97l Maisenbacher 29/2075 ST Primary ExaminerThomas H. Eager [5 7] ABSTRACT A machine is disclosed for applying a slider and an end stop in succession to a slide fastener chain on one and the same unit of the machine. The provision of a removably connected unit on the anvil part of the machine permits of the mounting of a slider and a bottom end stop as required on the fastener chain which has previously been attached to a prefinished garment such as trousers. The combination slider retainer and end stop die unit extends horizontally and forwardly of the anvil a sufficient length to provide unobstructed working space such that the fastener-attached, rather bulky garment can be advanced into the required position for the part assembly.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Patented Feb. 5, 1974 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.1

FIG.2

Hum 51 Patented Feb. 5, 1974 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 5, 1974 3 SheetsSheet 5 FlG.7

SLIDER AND END STOP APPLYING MACHINE FOR A SLIDE FASTENER CHAIN BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When applying completely assembled slide fasteners to garment fabrics such as trouser fly strips, much complicated and time-consuming sewing operations are required. Hence, in factories and shops where large quantities of ready-made garments are produced, it has been the usual practice to attach a continuous length chain of non-assembled slide fasteners to corresponding fly strips during the preparation or sewing of such fly strips and thereafter applying the sliders and end stops onto the fastener chain when two corresponding halves or panels of the garment are sewn together. However, in the case of trousers to which the slide fastener is to be applied, it has hitherto been necessary to leave the crotch portions of the panels unsewn and open apart to permit of the mounting of the sliders and bottom end stops on the fastener chain attached to the trouser flies and panels because the parts applying machines thus far known in the art were built on support frames projecting in to the working plane of the garment such that they would come into the way of and obstruct the advancing movement of the trouser panels for assembly thereon of the slide fastener parts. Further, to sew together the crotch portions of the trousers after the fastener parts are mounted thereon has involved the difficulties that the terminal end of each individual fastener in the chain interferes with the sewing operation and that the bottom end stops if not properly secured cause a mismatch in the sewn line extending of the symmetric crotch portions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved slide fastener parts applying machine which will substantially overcome the abovementioned difficulties of the conventional machines and which will greatly simplify the operations of mounting the sliders and bottom end stops on the fastener chain which has previously been attached to virtually completely finished garments.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved machine which allows both the slider assembling and the end stop applying operations to be performed expeditiously in succession on the same integral machine, both said operations being carried out particularly upon a continuous length chain of slide fasteners already attached to the desired garments such as trousers which are virtually completely sewn up including the crotch portions of the trouser panels, thereby greatly speeding up the production of finished, fastener-attached garments.

These and other objects and features of the invention will appear more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example certain preferred embodiments of the invention and in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the important parts of the machine embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view on enlarged scale of a combination slider retainer and end stop die unit constituting an important feature of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the same;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the machine utilized to explain the operations thereof for assem' bling the slider on and applying the bottom end stop to the slide fastener chain attached to the trousers;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 1 but showing another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a combination slider retainer and end stop die unit employed in conjunction with the machine shown in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings and FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a slider and end stop applying machine which generally comprises an upper block 101 including a punch carrying head 102 and a punch or hammer 103 and a lower block 104 including a horizontally extending support arm 105 secured to a frame not shown and a vertical anvil 106 integrally connected to and supported on the arm 105.

The punch carrying head 102 includes means for diecutting a metal strip into individual bottom end stops P in the form of staples, or may alternatively be arranged to receive preformed staple-like end stops from a chute connected to a supply hopper, all such arrangements being conventional and forming no positive part of the invention. The punch or hammer 103 is vertically reciprocated a predetermined stroke by a suitable actuating means such as a clutch pedal or through a push-button arrangement as in the usual practice and cooperates with a clamping die later described in applying a bottom end stop P securely to a slide fastener chain F.

There is provided a combination slider retainer and end stop die unit 107 which forms the subject matter of the invention and which is removably mounted on the top end of the anvil 106. As best shown in FIG. 2, the unit 107 is constructed generally in the form of a fork including a stem portion 108, a reletively narrow stock portion 109 and a forked end portion 110. The stem portion 108 is provided with bores 111 for receiving threaded bolts 112 engageable in corresponding bores 113 formed in the top end of the unit 107, thereby removably securing the die unit 107 to the anvil 106.

The stock portion 109 of the unit 107 functions as an operating bed carrying a clamping die and a slider retainer later described. In addition to being built slim widthwise, the stock portion 109 of the unit 107 has its thickness progressively reduced towards the forked end portion as seen in FIG. 3. Importantly, the stock portion 109 thus constructed extends a sufficient length horizontally of the vertical anvil 106 and in a -direction reverse to the direction of advancing fastener chain F so as to provide sufficient unobstructed working space 114 underneath the operating bed such that the fastener-attached, bulky garment G can be, with utmost ease, advanced into the required position for the parts assembly.

The stock portion 109 is provided at its thickened end 109a adjacent the stem portion 108 with a bottom end stop clamping die means 115 which is operatively associated with the hammer 103 and which consists of a pair of opposed arcuately shaped recesses 115a and 11512 disposed in a position corresponding to the respective ends of a bottom end stop P which are to be clamped into position on the fastener chain F. Immediately adjacent to and rearwardly of the die means 115 is provided a pin 116 projecting upwardly from the stock portion 109 of the unit 107, which pin functions as a stopper or abutment against which interengaged terminal end fastener elements E bear as the fastener chain F previously assembled with a slider S is drawn towards the pin 116.

The forked end portion 1 of the unit 107 extending integrally from the stock portion 109 opposite the stem portion 108 and formed at the thinner end thereof functions as a slider retainer for releasably retaining the slider S in position for threading through the fastener chain F. More specifically, the forked end portion or slider retainer 1 10 consists of a pair of blades 1 10a and 11011 defining therebetween a slit or opening 117 having a rounded closed end 117a and an open end 117b. The slit 117 is approximately equal in width to the supporting lug of the slider S to which the pull tab Sp is pivotally connected.

Advantageously, the combination slider retainer and end stop die unit 107 constructed as afore-described can be removed from the anvil 106 simply by removing the threaded bolts 112 when desired for instance for replacement with a new unit or with a different size unit to suit the particular fastener chain to be worked on.

The slider and end stop applying machine 100 constructed as above can achieve the various objects of the invention previously stated. To make this more clearly understood, the invention will now be further described as to its operation.

A single operator will be required to accomplish both the slider mounting and the end stop clamping operations in succession on the same machine. The operator holds the garment G upside down which already has a fastener chain F sewn thereon with its stringer tapes T separated as shown in FIG. 4, and draws the bottom ends of these tapes through the slider S on the forked end portion or slider retainer 110 of the unit 107, whereupon the two rows of elemens E are progressively coupled together. Subsequent to this slider mounting operation, the operator further advances the garment G and fastener chain F towards the die means 115 formed in the other end of the stock portion 109 adjacent to the stern portion 108 until the endmost element E abuts against the stopper pin 116 as shown in FIG. 5. He can freely do so because of the absence of any objects or obstacles blocking the path of the garment G as previously described and illustrated in the drawings. Upon engagement of the endmost element E with the pin 116, the operator actuates the hammer 103 to impact the bottom end stop against the die means 115 immediately adjacent the pin 116 and clamp the same into position on the fastener chain F as is well known.

Reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrates another embodiment of the invention which is designed to achieve the end stop applying operation by a supersonic means.

In contrast to the machine shown in FIG. 1 and previously described whereby the bottom end stop P made of a staple-lide metal piece is mechanically applied to the fastener chain F, the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 6 features the formation of a bottom end stop in which the fastener elements of plastic material are deformed under the influence of heat and pressure applied by a supersonic horn 130 movable towards and away from the die unit 107 and the thus deformed elements E form an abutment which serves the function of a bottom end stop. The combination slider retainer and end stop die unit 107, which forms the subject matter of the invention and which is employed in this embodiment for the supersonic end stop applying operation, is principally similar to the one previously described and shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in particular, with the exception of the form of die means 115. Namely, the die means shown in FIG. 7 has an elongated recess 131 defined by two opposed ridges or protuberances 132, with the stopper pin 116 positioned at a rearward end of the recess 131. The function of the recess 13] is to accommodate and guide a length of the closed rows of elements E therein and retain the same in a suitable position in cooperation with the protuberances 132 and stopper pin 1 16. A desired number of interengaged element E positioned therein are deformed by melting in contact with the supersonic horn and firmly anchored to the stringer tapes T of the fastener chain F. In which instance, the opposed protuberances 132 serve to prevent the molten elements E from spreading out over the web of the tape T. The die means 115 is preferably removable from the unit 107 as by means of a threaded bolt 112 so that it may be readily replaced when worn in service.

Having thus described the invention, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise formand construction described and illustrated but various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims. As for examples, the die means 115 on the unit 107 may be modified in such a manner that it can be used for end-stop clamping by means of high frequency application.

I claim:

1. A machine for applying sliders and end stops to the slide fastener chain which has previously been attached to a suitable pre-finished garment, which machine comprises:

an upper block including a reciprocally movable endstop applying means;

a lower block including a vertical anvil supported thereon; and

a combination slider retainer and end stop die unit carried by said vertical anvil, said unit comprising a stem portion supportedly connected to said anvil, a stock portion functioning as an operating bed and extending a sufficient length horizontally of said anvil and in a direction reverse to the direction of advancing fastener chain to provide unobstructed working space underneath said bed and a forked end portion integral with said stock portion and adapted to releasably retain the slider.

2. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said end-stop applying means is a mechanical hammer.

3. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said end-stop applying means is a supersonic horn.

4. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said unit is removably connected by threaded bolts to said anvil.

5. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said stock portion is reduced in thickness progressively towards said forked end portion. 

1. A machine for applying sliders and end stops to the slide fastener chain which has previously been attached to a suitable pre-finished garment, which machine comprises: an upper block including a reciprocally movable end-stop applying means; a lower block including a vertical anvil supported thereon; and a combination slider retainer and end stop die unit carried by said vertical anvil, said unit comprising a stem portion supportedly connected to said anvil, a stock portion functioning as an operating bed and extending a sufficient length horizontally of said anvil and in a direction reverse to the direction of advancing fastener chain to provide unobstructed working space underneath said bed and a forked end portion integral with said stock portion and adapted to releasably retain the slider.
 2. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said end-stop applying means is a mechanical hammer.
 3. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said end-stop applying means is a supersonic horn.
 4. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said unit is removably connected by threaded bolts to said anvil.
 5. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said stock portion is reduced in thickness progressively towards said forked end portion. 